Even Though Lloyd Blankfein Wasn't Handsome, "Tough-Talking Trader Types Were Drawn To Him"

Apparently there’s a reason that Lloyd Blankfein rose so quickly to the top of Goldman Sachs – he’s got special powers.In a new book about the financial collapse, All the Devils Are Here, current and former Goldmanites told the authors about the kingpin’s “empyreal qualities,” which made him so attractive to co-workers. [Via Daily Intel].

[Blankfein] proved that he had a sixth sense about making money and a rare ability to manage traders.

His power began to grow. As he rose, he lost weight (about 50 pounds), quit smoking, and shaved his beard … Although he wasn’t physically prepossessing, tough-talking trader types were drawn to him. One partner described it as, “a little bit of the sun god phenomenon.”

This corroborates actual findings that Goldman employees love their boss. Apart from the fact they get giddy when he crosses the trading floor, Blankfein ranked 4th in a 2010 Forbes list of worker’s favourite CEOs.